“My simple message would be if you find something that you feel very strong about, stand up, speak up, speak out, give it your all. Push, pull and . . . never ever give up or give in or give out.” – John R. Lewis, civil rights titan and “Conscience of Congress” (1940-2020)
Although I was elated by the comments after my last post (https://1moreonce.blogspot.com/2020/07/what-i-did-last-pandemic.html), I concluding they came in reaction to positive topics – no viruses, bats, live-animal markets, wildlife trade, etc. I had focused for a change on familiar and lovable animals that we can see and enjoy.
That’s very nice, and in future, I’ll try lighten up more often. But we all know that for innumerable animals, the world is a cruel and dangerous place, largely because of humans. That’s why we’re animal advocates.
So, getting back to the downside of animal news, I’m linking here to “Out of the Wild,” a recent NYTimes Magazine article that neatly, convincingly sums up the situation. Its opening is mysterious: “It might have started like this: One afternoon last year, somewhere in China’s mountainous Yunnan province, a hunter entered a limestone cave. . .”
But its subhead leaves no doubt: “As humanity degrades animal habitats, reduces biodiversity and reaches ever deeper into the wilderness for resources, we’re all but certain to unleash more diseases like Covid-19.”
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Along with the public health issues
widely studied and discussed today, public safety is another crucial
topic currently, with police not the only ones whose approach is being
re-considered. Police dogs – and
their specialized training “to bite hard, use all their teeth and bite multiple
times” -- are also being discussed.
The Washington Post column linked
below argues that “we have normalized -- and subsidized -- police departments’
use of dogs to attack human beings,” with Blacks and Latinxs** disproportionately
being victimized.
She also says that “’criminal apprehension’
dogs used to find and bite whomever the police tell them to need to be part of
the national conversation about ending unnecessary force.” That they sometimes attack the wrong person
and/or don’t stop biting on command is worrisome, at least.
Still other problems with police dogs,
“one of the most brutal, unnecessary and radicalized parts of policing,” are
detailed.
**
plural form of gender-neutral “Latinx” -- a person of Latin American cultural
or ethnic identity in the US
Got hairballs?
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| Catster pic |
“Cats can ingest upward of a third of the
amount of hair they shed,” warns an expert, and the result of summer shedding
and consuming is . . . hairballs – unless cat parents provide regular baths,
combing and brushing. The Catster
article linked below names shedding as the first of 4 summer dangers for cats, pointing
out that indoor cats really don’t need haircuts, only if . . . !
Sunscreen is the second danger. Because there isn’t a sunscreen just for cats
and because felines are “fastidious lickers, products that are left on the skin should
be avoided.”
Heatstroke is the third danger, especially
for older cats and kittens. Watch for panting
and be alert to lethargy and difficulty walking.
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| Catster pic |
(For
those hardy enough to travel with cats right now, this article is followed by
travel tips.)
Comic, or climbing, relief?
Finally,
harking back to two domestic animals we love, this Dodo story about a dog
and mistaken identity. (And how about
that refrigerator stance?!)
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